1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a limited-displacement flexible mechanism which can be used in a linkage rod or a support arrangement.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the increasing market demand for precision technology, a linear motion actuator providing high precision has become important for machinery requiring precise displacement such as multiple-degree-of-freedom displacement mechanism, micro-manipulator or the like. In most cases, such a linear motion actuator uses an electromechanical or electrohydraulic arrangement which is usually provided for each rod of a six-degree-of-freedom mechanism (so called Hexapod) (see Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. JP2013-096574, U.S. Pat. No. 8,978,480 B2). In the hexapod system, each of the six rods is adjustable to precisely position an object in three dimensional space.
A mounting assembly which can correct the position of a device to be supported along six degrees of freedom is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,329 B1. The mounting assembly has three mounting devices each having a deformable triangle structure composed of two sides and a variable length arm. Each of the sides includes a friction free hinge comprising a pair of flexible strips which are located in two planes orthogonal to each other.